Palestine seeks International pressure on Israel to resume Gaza aid

Gaza: The Palestinian Ministry of National Economy has made an urgent appeal to the UN and international community to pressure Israel to stop using starvation and deprivation as tools of war against the Gaza Strip.

"We remind the entire world that Israel is refusing to allow the entry of basic health and humanitarian needs, especially water, electricity, and food, to the population in the Gaza Strip," the statement said.

It added, "This day comes at a time of exceptional circumstances that require the international community, with its various bodies, to uphold international laws that guarantee citizens' right to their basic needs and rights, especially during times of war."

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is worsening due to Israel's closure of crossings into the Strip, now in its 13th consecutive day. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office has warned of a resurgence of famine, highlighting the dire consequences of this blockade. Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel has blocked aid shipments, including food, from entering Gaza since March 2, following the expiration of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement.

Earlier on Friday, UN humanitarians said that 63,000 metric tonnes of food await an end to the Gaza aid blockade, enough for 1.1 million people for two to three months.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has sounded the alarm on the devastating impact of the 12-day aid blockade in Gaza, which is severely hindering relief operations.

"This means, for example, that the World Food Programme (WFP) has not been able to transport any food supplies into Gaza due to the closure of all border crossing points for both humanitarian and commercial supplies," OCHA said. "WFP has about 63,000 metric tonnes of food destined for Gaza, stored or in transit in the region."

WFP said it has enough stocks to support active bakeries and community kitchens for up to one month and can also provide ready-to-eat food parcels for more than 500,000 people for two weeks. However, before the ceasefire, WFP reduced the quantity of ready-to-eat food parcels so that families could stretch their supplies and serve more people.

(inputs from IANS)